Rifle Scopes Vortex AMG parallax issue

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

I just got my AMG a few weeks ago.
I went to shoot it for the second time and my parallax knob has a sort of grinding feeling about half way through the adjustment and it won't focus for shit
I've played with the diopter a bunch and its still terrible.
Does anyone with an AMG notice a rough feeling on the parallax knob?
I'm going to be pissed if I have to send this thing back already..

 

[Georgedubya]

Sorry to say I had a similar issue. Ended up selling the scope. On paper, it has a ton going for it, and many guys here have success with it, but I had two at different times and sold them both.

 

[ken226]

Send it back and get it fixed.

It sucks to pay that much and have problems, but that's how it goes. When you bought that scope, you paid for the warranty. It was built into the price.

 

[bschneiderheinze]

Send it back mine wouldn’t focus past 200 yards at a match ( pleasant experience) if your rings are just slightly to tight it will mess with it. They replaced all the internals on mine. Although I have three high end Votex I’m used to just cranking the screws down on my Nightforces and yes I do have a torque driver

 

[patriot07]

Agree with the last poster - likely that your rings are too tight. I am a Seekins fan and have seen lots of folks with these type of issues, but never seen one personally. I had an AMG for a while and it was definitely one of the best overall packages that I've ever seen (weight, performance, ergonomics, etc.).

 

[SonoranPrecision]

I bought an AMG second hand and had the same issue before I even got it mounted. It seemed to focus fine, just kinda rough. It also had another issue (unrelated), so I contacted Vortex and they took care of me. Overnighted it both ways, and all is working as it should now. They’ll take care of you, just shoot them an email.

 

[Rob01]

@Westernhntr it sucks if you are having an issue with a new scope but they will get it fixed fast. I highly doubt it has anything to do with the rings as the binding issue people are talking about was with the PST line. I have had my AMG torqued to 20 in/lbs in Seekins rings since they came out and no issues. Having issues with a scope, especially a new one, sucks but they will make it easy to get it fixed and back to you fast.

 

[Glassaholic]

It sounds like you may have a loose field lens, like others have mentioned I would definitely recommend sending it in to Vortex, they have the best warranty in the business and should have the scope turned around in less than 2 weeks.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Thanks guys
I called vortex this morning and they're sending me an overnight label, should have it back this weekend.
Definitely not a ring issue, I torqued it to 15 in lbs in Hawkins rings and it calls for 18.
I hope this was just a fluke, it sucks taking time to mount and sight in an optic back to back..

 

[davere]

I've managed to bork mine up - likely because of over torquing the ring cap screws because I was using blue locktite on them. Mine won't focus closer than about 35y right now, but does fine otherwise. Right now, it's my only scope, but I'll be getting another shortly and will send it back for warranty work at that point.

 

[CShooter92]

I had one of the first AMG's out to the public and the parallax knob did kind of bind a little bit. Sent it in and had it back within a week all fixed up. That was 2 years ago and haven't had an issue since.

 

[Rob01]

I had one of the first AMG's out to the public and the parallax knob did kind of bind a little bit. Sent it in and had it back within a week all fixed up. That was 2 years ago and haven't had an issue since.

That was probably the o-ring binding issue on the first ones out. I also have one of the first out and mine didn't bind but I sent it back in just in case to get the o-rings done when they found the issue and no problems since.

 

[Rob01]

I would never recommend red loctite for anything scope ring related. If your rings are coming lose at manufacturer's spec then there is a problem with the rings. Band aids like red loctite are not the answer.

 

[CShooter92]

I've run 15 in/lbs on my NF and Seekins rings combined with my AMG and have never had an issue with them coming loose. Every so often, like before each match, I go through my whole rifle and make sure everything is torqued properly anyways.

 

[carbonbased]

@khuber84 removing his scope from his red locktited rings.



Remind me never to buy a scope you sell.

 

[davere]

Be aware that putting locktite on a screw changes the torque setting. You'll be applying more torque for the same setting on the wrench (because you now have a lubricated fastener).

I might need amend that, actually - I think, technically, you're applying more clamping force for the same torque, but... Either way, point is, with a lubricated fastener, you're exceeding the specs supplied by the manufacturer, if you set the torque wrench to the same setting specified for a dry fastener...

 

[E. Bryant]

Be aware that putting locktite on a screw changes the torque setting. You'll be applying more torque for the same setting on the wrench (because you now have a lubricated fastener).

I might need amend that, actually - I think, technically, you're applying more clamping force for the same torque, but... Either way, point is, with a lubricated fastener, you're exceeding the specs supplied by the manufacturer, if you set the torque wrench to the same setting specified for a dry fastener...

Applying Loctite does change the coefficient of friction. Good luck figuring out how much and in what direction:

I did a study at work a few years ago on some 8-32 screws, and on those particular fasteners, there was no meaningful change caused by applying 242.

 

[10ring'r]

I use blue loctite, on anything alum. Red will pull threads quicker than....... When I raced dirt bikes, I would use Red loctite, very rarely, on mag./alum. engine cases (vibration) and when I needed to remove said part, a torch, was used for a few seconds. I use Blue on my scope mounts and have never had a problem with slippage. Good luck! Mac

 

[patriot07]

Nothing wrong with using blue loctite on rings with hex or torx head screws. They should hold better and come loose easily when you need them off.

I've never needed them for good rings like Seekins, but I've absolutely needed them to make cheaper rings hold firm before I put a brake on my 308.

 

[Awesymoto]

I’ve had multiple issues with parallax mainly not being able to get rid of it at 1000+ yards. I’ve had 4 warranty scopes between new ones and repaired ones, the current one I have is going back now too.

 

[Bangin]

I’ve had multiple issues with parallax mainly not being able to get rid of it at 1000+ yards. I’ve had 4 warranty scopes between new ones and repaired ones, the current one I have is going back now too.

All Amgs?

 

[Awesymoto]

All Amgs?

Yes

 

[Bangin]

Well that’s disappointing to hear. I was thinking about getting one

 

[Rob01]

Well that’s disappointing to hear. I was thinking about getting one

Not sure why he had 4 bad scopes but plenty of people with AMGs with no issues. I have one of the first to hit the streets and it's still going strong.

 

[Bangin]

Must be some bad luck

 

[Awesymoto]

I historically have the worst luck ever. My KTM motorcycle engine blew up at 75 hrs. The AMG is very good and better yet is their customer service. They have just mailed me a brand new optic that works great now.

 

[Awesymoto]

Also not full of it here’s the boxes to prove it. not including the one in a prepaid UPS box back to Vortex

 

[scharfschutze762]

Well that’s disappointing to hear. I was thinking about getting one

Buy with confidence, I have one thats been used for the past year for CMP 1k yard matches and its been excellent in regards to tracking and optical performance.

 

[Awesymoto]

Buy with confidence, I have one thats been used for the past year for CMP 1k yard matches and its been excellent in regards to tracking and optical performance.

Optics are good my crap pic doesn’t do it justice sunset 20 min ago and I can still count the branches on this tree about 6 miles away

 

[scharfschutze762]

Im like you I have terrible luck with optics and guns breaking but knock on wood this ones been GTG.

 

[MakeSawdust]

I’ve had multiple issues with parallax mainly not being able to get rid of it at 1000+ yards. I’ve had 4 warranty scopes between new ones and repaired ones, the current one I have is going back now too.

I have had the same experience. I didn't really want to post in this thread because Vortex has been exceptional in taking care of the issue on the customer service side. If the person I chatted with at Vortex was telling me correctly, there was a redesign after the originals came out. I bought a used one in the PX that had an out of spec erector assembly and the zero was shifting .2 mils. It had the old parallax assembly and when I sent it in they replaced it with the new one as a precaution. That's when the problems with parallax started. That scope went back twice and was never made right and then they overnighted me one before a match that had a burr or something in it because it would make a click/pop in a certain spot when running the parallax knob. They overnighted me another one and that scope has been good. It recently had to be worked on because my gun got knocked off the bench and the sunshade cross threaded. They repaired it and it is still going with no issues.

Their customer service as a company is exceptional, but I do wonder after seeing this thread and talking to a few others at matches about it, if there is a design issue that makes the durability of the side parallax poor. Many, including me until now, have not been willing to say anything because of the exceptional service from Vortex in taking care of the issue.

This is simply an anecdotal thing, but it seems there are far fewer AMG scopes floating around than gen 2 razors and I hear about more issues with the AMG. I love the fact that the scopes are made in the US and when you get a good one they are GOOD. Mine has exceptional glass and tracks perfect to 20 mils of elevation.

When there starts to be a pattern of failures it makes me wonder if there is an issue with the design or production of that part of the scope. It could even be that a person that is crucial in some part of the parallax functioning is not doing their job consistently well. It would be hard to say. I'm just stating that it appears that the problems I have heard about have mostly been with the parallax. There appears to be a pattern, although we don't really have enough info to say for sure.

If every person that has had a problem is in this thread, then there are damn few problems. If the thread is a statistical cross section of those that have had problems and frequent Sniper's Hide then there might be an actual issue.

I will say that I like the scope enough to keep running it even after the initial problems I had, and the customer service is very good. I'm hoping I just had really shitty luck at first and things go on without issue.

 

[Awesymoto]

Curious what serial numbers are you in? I had a 2000 series that broke they sent me 2x 8,000 series and now I’m at a 5,000 series replacement, made me scratch my head.

 

[MakeSawdust]

Curious what serial numbers are you in? I had a 2000 series that broke they sent me 2x 8,000 series and now I’m at a 5,000 series replacement, made me scratch my head.

First one with the erector issue was a 5000 series. It didn't have the parallax error until they "fixed" it. I don't know what the one with the click was. I never even mounted it. Just sent it back. The current one is a 7000 series. I checked the parallax yesterday on some trees and a building that were over a mile, after this thread reminding me. The glass in this scope is GOOD. I just hope everything continues to hold up and I don't have mechanical issues.

 

[bfk4lyfe]

Slightly on topic. I love my AMG, but the locking aspect of the elevation turret requires some serious force to manipulate. My G2 Razor I can do with one hand while in prone, not so much with my AMG. It feels like there's too much grease in there. My PST 2 1-6 required the same amount of force to make adjustments until I took the cap off a few times while zero'ing it. Is there something I can do for it or does it have to go back? I know they'll take care of it quickly, but I really don't want to send it back if I don't have to.

 

[Awesymoto]

First one with the erector issue was a 5000 series. It didn't have the parallax error until they "fixed" it. I don't know what the one with the click was. I never even mounted it. Just sent it back. The current one is a 7000 series. I checked the parallax yesterday on some trees and a building that were over a mile, after this thread reminding me. The glass in this scope is GOOD. I just hope everything continues to hold up and I don't have mechanical issues.

I get around 0.1 mil parallax error at “infinity” I check on a mountain by my house 1350 yards. I cannot get rid of the parallax. Every scope had this issue it’s some bs...

 

[MakeSawdust]

Yep, it needs to be right. I agree. It is their flagship scope and should perform as such. I sent the same scope back twice to be repaired and they could never get the parallax out past 850 yds. That's when they started sending new scopes. The first one that worked, and the one I have now, will both turn significantly past the infinity mark on the dial before they stop. I have to have them all the way to the stop to make them focus and be parallax free.

I do know that they were having all kinds of conversations about this when I was having my problems because I was contacted by phone by more than just the customer service rep.

I don't know what the deal is, but I would think they would want it sorted out. Everyone I talked with seemed pretty worried about it and seemed to take a lot of pride in putting out a good product.

I would think with as many issues as you have had they would test very closely for your particular issue before they sent you a scope. Maybe they are not qc testing for parallax error or maybe they are batch testing.

I will say this is the only problem I have heard that repeats itself with these scopes. I have seen one posted on here where one of the lock rings came loose and the first scope I had was an issue with the size of something in the erector being out of spec.

When I kept having issues I searched this and found nothing. This is the first thread I have seen mentioning it. I wonder if there are others that have had issues, or if we just have extremely shitty luck.

 

[MakeSawdust]

Slightly on topic. I love my AMG, but the locking aspect of the elevation turret requires some serious force to manipulate. My G2 Razor I can do with one hand while in prone, not so much with my AMG. It feels like there's too much grease in there. My PST 2 1-6 required the same amount of force to make adjustments until I took the cap off a few times while zero'ing it. Is there something I can do for it or does it have to go back? I know they'll take care of it quickly, but I really don't want to send it back if I don't have to.

It is caused by an air bubble or grease. Usually working it back and forth a bunch will either make it better or worse by trapping more air or letting some release. I notice this with pushing and pulling turrets on a lot of scopes to zero the turret, not just ones that lock. It does make it a pain to lock and unlock when it happens though.

If you have problems you could call their technical support and they will likely be able to help you through it. They are actually very helpful.

 

[Todc]

My ltec turret on razor does the same.

 

[Awesymoto]

Yep, it needs to be right. I agree. It is their flagship scope and should perform as such. I sent the same scope back twice to be repaired and they could never get the parallax out past 850 yds. That's when they started sending new scopes. The first one that worked, and the one I have now, will both turn significantly past the infinity mark on the dial before they stop. I have to have them all the way to the stop to make them focus and be parallax free.

I do know that they were having all kinds of conversations about this when I was having my problems because I was contacted by phone by more than just the customer service rep.

I don't know what the deal is, but I would think they would want it sorted out. Everyone I talked with seemed pretty worried about it and seemed to take a lot of pride in putting out a good product.

I would think with as many issues as you have had they would test very closely for your particular issue before they sent you a scope. Maybe they are not qc testing for parallax error or maybe they are batch testing.

I will say this is the only problem I have heard that repeats itself with these scopes. I have seen one posted on here where one of the lock rings came loose and the first scope I had was an issue with the size of something in the erector being out of spec.

When I kept having issues I searched this and found nothing. This is the first thread I have seen mentioning it. I wonder if there are others that have had issues, or if we just have extremely shitty luck.

When was the last time you dealt with them, the one I sent back went past infinity but I compared it to the replacement and the parallax seems the same, just zeroed the knob different.

 

[MakeSawdust]

When was the last time you dealt with them, the one I sent back went past infinity but I compared it to the replacement and the parallax seems the same, just zeroed the knob different.

It was last summer. Probably started in July and got everything all squared away sometime in August. The customer service person I spoke with for most of the interaction was Larry. I can look back and get his last name if you need it. He was very helpful throughout and was the reason the engineer and production manager got involved. I wonder what they did to mine. I checked yesterday on the furthest thing I can see from my yard when I was shooting behind the house (over a mile), and I had no perceptable parallax error.

I hope they get it sorted out for you. When I was in your position I was very close to posting it for sale in the PX and buying something different, but my morals would not let me do that.

 

[Awesymoto]

It was last summer. Probably started in July and got everything all squared away sometime in August. The customer service person I spoke with for most of the interaction was Larry. I can look back and get his last name if you need it. He was very helpful throughout and was the reason the engineer and production manager got involved. I wonder what they did to mine. I checked yesterday on the furthest thing I can see from my yard when I was shooting behind the house (over a mile), and I had no perceptable parallax error.

I hope they get it sorted out for you. When I was in your position I was very close to posting it for sale in the PX and buying something different, but my morals would not let me do that.

I’m about to get it fixed by Vortex and be done with it, sell what they give me back on the PX. I’ve been eyeing the ATACR hard.

 

[DOA]

I’m about to get it fixed by Vortex and be done with it, sell what they give me back on the PX. I’ve been eyeing the ATACR hard.

I saved up and bought an ATACR and honestly wasn't that impressed over the Vortex Razor Gen 2. The parallax was finicky, not accurate to the marks (the Vortex seems spot on) and aside from a little bit clearer view didn't seem worth the extra coin. Sold it and eyeing maybe the ZCO.

 

[Awesymoto]

I saved up and bought an ATACR and honestly wasn't that impressed over the Vortex Razor Gen 2. The parallax was finicky, not accurate to the marks (the Vortex seems spot on) and aside from a little bit clearer view didn't seem worth the extra coin. Sold it and eyeing maybe the ZCO.

Oooo interesting.

 

[GunMax]

I also has the same issue with the parallax. They said it was a broken part that was replaced and sent it right back. My serial number is in the 5000s

 

[wade2big]

I saved up and bought an ATACR and honestly wasn't that impressed over the Vortex Razor Gen 2. The parallax was finicky, not accurate to the marks (the Vortex seems spot on) and aside from a little bit clearer view didn't seem worth the extra coin. Sold it and eyeing maybe the ZCO.

An acquaintance of mine has an atacr 7-35 on a 50bmg. He brought it out to my range and we burned up some ammo. The Atacr is just another scope. No magic. Once you hit the Razor Gen II there really isnt much difference. Never used a zco or TT but i probably would feel the same I’m sure. I dont get emotionally attached to things though. If you have the coin and just want one then by all means. Maybe its tougher. Who knows.